Human Rights Advocates Claim Paramilitary Forces Incinerate Villages, Resulting in Numerous Fatalities, Including Vulnerable Populations.
A coalition of human rights attorneys in Sudan has accused the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of devastating raids on villages within North Kordofan, leading to the deaths of nearly 300 individuals, including children and pregnant women.
In a statement released late Monday, Emergency Lawyers reported these incidents as clashes continue between the RSF and the Sudanese military in the western regions of the nation. The two factions have been embroiled in a civil conflict since 2023, with the army maintaining control over the central and eastern parts of Sudan, while RSF seeks to solidify its stronghold in the western territories, specifically North Kordofan and Darfur.
According to Emergency Lawyers, multiple villages were targeted in assaults on Saturday around the city of Bara, which remains under RSF control. In one tragic incident in Shag Alnom, over 200 individuals were reportedly killed in what has been described as a “horrific massacre,” with many victims either incinerated within their homes or shot to death. Additionally, 38 other civilians in nearby villages were killed, with many more believed to be forcibly disappeared.
The following day, the RSF executed yet another massacre in Hilat Hamid, resulting in the deaths of at least 46 people, including pregnant women and children. Emergency Lawyers emphasized that these targeted villages lacked any military objectives, underscoring the criminal nature of these acts, which blatantly violate international humanitarian law and squarely place accountability on the RSF’s leadership.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the escalation of violence has forced over 3,000 residents to flee from Shag Alnom and al-Kordi, with many seeking refuge in nearby areas around Bara.
The United States and various human rights organizations have leveled accusations against the RSF for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even acts of genocide. Numerous violent looting incidents have emerged in territories now controlled by RSF fighters.
While RSF leadership claims they will hold accountable those responsible for these violent actions, the devastation wrought by Sudan’s civil war has triggered the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis. Over half of the country’s population now faces hunger, and disease outbreaks, including cholera, are spreading rapidly.
Casualty figures stand at an estimated 40,000, with 13 million people displaced. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has initiated a fresh investigation into war crimes in Darfur. Senior prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan informed the UN Security Council that there are reasonable grounds to believe that egregious violations are occurring in the region.
Khan also highlighted that her investigation is concentrating on offenses committed in West Darfur, having interviewed victims who have fled to neighboring Chad. She noted the dire humanitarian situation in Darfur, describing it as “intolerable,” with increasing famine and targeted attacks on hospitals, humanitarian convoys, and other civilian infrastructures.
“Water and food shortages are rampant. The weaponization of rape and sexual violence is prevalent,” Khan stated, emphasizing that abductions for ransom have become alarmingly common.